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Tag: Ministers

  • Ministers – Work for governance victims

    Ministers – Work for governance victims

    Beware, Nigerians, of widespread flooding as constantly recently announced by Nigerian Meteorological Agency and emphasised by Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Professor Joseph Utsev, a renowned water engineer and academic. This is in response to the international and local rain predictions and the added unpredicted danger of required seasonal dam openings. The Cameroonian Lagdo Dam has had to be opened in measured amounts to relieve the pressure for heavy rains and as an unfortunate consequence, it will release waters flooding several parts of Nigeria.

    Listening to the weather forecast before travel and even daily at home may save your life and your property. It is amazing how we always seem surprised when it rains as we are usually always caught without umbrella or raincoat even in mid-rainy season! 

    Politicians 2023-27, have no time to bask in adoration admiring wasteful congratulatory advert pages. There are no oars yet to rest on. The engine of governance has just started and they must press the pedal to the metal to extract good governance and advance quickly and seize the initiative. This is not the time to overdress and prance and pose in new clothes or they may find themselves wearing the fabled emperor’s new clothes and marching naked in the street.

    Read Also: Tinubu assumed office amidst economic crisis, says monarch in Obi’s town

    Politicians must roll up their sleeves, quickly clear the backlog of files and decisions, shed weight and ‘Deliver Good Governance Decisions’ elevating Nigeria or be architects in Nigeria’s failure 2023-2027, a failure that will kill Nigeria. We need a four fast from corrupt practices.

    Our gallant military killed in a helicopter crash by bandits were buried with military honours. Soon after we hear of 23 bandits killed and 130 captured. This is not compensation or even retaliation; nothing can replace a lost spouse or parent. However, the news may make the general population feel safer. We pray that we will have enough equipment so that one helicopter will not go out on its own into a battle zone in future. It should be the norm to have backup air support in case of terrible outcomes like this loss of our security personnel with  bandits having enough time, if the video is authentic, to roam the crash site and gloat over our fallen heroes who have died being ‘Faithful, Loyal and Honest, FLH’.

    Let all politicians 2023 to 2027 be sent the names of these fallen heroes on a monthly basis. This will remind them on a daily basis of the cost that is being paid by security personnel they do not even know to keep them in political office, some still dying while trying  ‘To Keep Nigeria One- The Task That Must Be Done’ – the federal government slogan during the Civil War in 1967-70. 

    Indeed we should add the names of the two customs officials killed on duty and the citizens killed by customs officials and the kidnapped persons killed by kidnappers and even sometimes their rescuers. We must add the dead migrants disastrous and repeated drowning of our youth fleeing political neglect at home in several boat disasters. We must add our children kidnapped totalling 1,964, [imagine 130 danfos of 15 each or 65 buses of 30 each full of children], including the 92 Chibok girls still missing after 9 years.+, the Dapchi students 5 years + and so many others never returned since their kidnap from what seems to have turned out to be an unexpected ‘Last Day or Night at School’ .

    The increasingly dangerous and sometimes deadly NYSC scheme is to be added with the kidnap of eight NYSC members. And last minute we must add the wicked murder of former President Customary Court of Appeal, Retired Justice Margaret Igbetar. And please put in the monthly total of ‘Nigeria’s War Against Pregnant Mothers’ resulting in the names of all girls-to-women damaged and dying during and around childbirth, also an essential national service.  Such ‘MONTHLY MORTALITY & MORBIDITY  LIST’ presented to state and federal houses of parliament and all governors and commissioners would go a long way to force the political class to face the ‘Bloody Reality’ of the huge impact of any political failures, greed and corruption on the citizenry , in and out of uniform.     

    The meeting of security bosses with other agencies confirms a more unified serious all-out war on oil thieves, be they government or other types of thieves in and out of office, seems to have begun in earnest for the first time in many years. This comes after several airstrikes on illegal oil refining areas and the destruction of bunkering ships.   

    Kudos to Nyesom Wike, former governor, who bans media greeting on his assumption of office as Minister of Federal Capital Territory. Ask yourself who can afford a billboard costing maybe N100m for such activities and what is the motivation behind such a move? Why not donate N1m to 100 orphanages, or give 1000 N100,000 scholarships in FCT or open a N100m Youth Centre, or a N100m FCT aquarium  in Wike’s name? Indeed, the seasonal filling of newspapers with N4-5m congratulatory message pages can also be diverted into more impactful ways of showing ‘Love of Politician in Office’. Love is good but love of those who cannot give in return like orphanages and schools will be better.  

    There is a very interesting ‘fuel palliative’ fuelled by a church which is an amazing initiative needing replication in other places.    

  •  Not just about ministers

     Not just about ministers

    How the dances are over.  The ministers have scaled the rites of democracy that brought them to the big, cavernous temples of their offices. Over are the pangs of patience as to whether they would enter the inner sanctum. The president endorsed.

    Over are the theatrics before the senate. We saw the range of offices, the temperament, intellect, and sometimes burlesque acts of the nominees. The flourish of Alake, the tears and humility of Musawa, the two credits of Mohammed, the perorations of Alausa, Wike’s bumpkin charm, the “incestuous” acclamation of Umahi, being in the same family.  Some ex-governors materialized like monarchs without a train, who a few months ago would have regarded their screening as lese-majesty. Some nominees crackled with boasts and self-congratulations. Fashions raged a cornucopia of Nigerian colours. And of course, the peacock vanities of “take a bow.” Television screens beamed the testy moment of Nasir El Rufai and the portent of a petition. For some, like Oketete, the bow had no return.  Godswill Akpabio played the good chaperon.

    After that, it was time for oath. In the first dance, President Bola Tinubu spoke by picking them. In the second, they were a claptrap of voices, talking up their credentials. In the last act, they were silent again, except when they swore their oaths. 

    Read Also: Agenda for new ministers

     Does an oath bear value here, or anywhere in the world? But that was necessary. The oath is not in the fashion, or in their grand and solemn visages. All that was an act. What is important is the oath in their hearts and acts, for there lies their integrity. “What other oath than honesty to honesty engaged?” asked William Shakespeare. They will engage their bosses, the president. But the real engagement is with their souls and that must shine, eventually, in their stewardships.

    Three names were absent, and most notable was the former Kaduna State governor. El Rufai’s post was power minister, and that now falls on Adelabu’s  laps.  So, why the small man of Kaduna? My reporting reveals the man is at odds with the APC elite. No one trusts him, said a top party man. “Tell me, who did he not betray since he started his public career,” observed one of them. “Was it Obasanjo, Yar’ Adua or Atiku?” No one was willing to wager on that man.

    It shows, as I have noted, that a good minister is not just about ability or the over-flogged word, technocrat. If El Rufai evinced it in BPE, Abuja and Kaduna, no chance this time. But a cocktail of factors makes a good leader or minister. A technocrat who is churlish, or lacks financial literacy, of emotional connection or social conscience will stumble, be he or she the jewel of their profession. A minister or an executive is a blend of qualities. Their great professionalism may matter only 15 percent.

    If you are minister of communications, the great concern is not algorithms but people. Hence, Oppenheimer was chosen to make the nuclear bomb, even if he knew just a fraction of the technology. His value was in superintending the pool of talent. When the First World War confronted France, Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau was more at peace with his vision and his thinkers than the military. “War,” he said, “is too important a matter to be left in the hands of generals.” In 1982, recession bit the globe and economists were at a loss to explain how they erred. Henry Kissinger, a historian and former secretary of state, wrote an essay then and echoed the French man. “The economy is too important a matter to be left in the hands of economic experts,” he noted. Kissinger is a centenarian, and his mind is still plucking out new books. Paul D. Wolfowitz, the tenth World Bank President, never had a degree in banking or business but a PHD in political science. Jim Yong Kim, another world bank chief, was a physician and anthropologist.

    What is important in high office is a supple mind and a good character. You are not minister because you are a wonk. It helps, but it is not as great an asset as many of our analysts say. When Napoleon went to war, he took on board many technocrats with him, including scientists, intellectuals and poets. But he quipped that they were like “coquets. You can talk to them, but don’t marry them or make them ministers.” Even Napoleon knew that in war, militarism was not enough for victory. He read history, biographies, poets, plays and novels. When he saw that his soldiers were reading only novels, he said novels are for women and maid until he was reminded that he had over 30 novels with him. The “petit corporal” wanted for his soldiers a broader diet than only novels. His biographers observed that Napoleon’s forays into literature helped him to appreciate human sentiment and relations and the potency of words that helped him as the great military mobiliser in history. He memorized many poems including Homer, Virgil and even Tasso. Charles de Gaulle, the next great French man, became an unofficial patron of the literati. Andre Malraux was his close friend.  Our leaders must read. Few know that President Tinubu is a voracious reader. Vice President Kashim Shettima was caught, amidst the buzz of the BRICS summit, in a South African bookshop  as he often does when he travels. My father Moses quoted Francis Bacon to me as a little boy: “Reading maketh a man; conference a ready man; writing an exact man.” Reading must translate into action. The Bible that says “blessed is he that readeth,” also warns that “much reading is the weariness of the flesh.” So we had a Napoleon who read a lot and acted a lot. Even to read with appreciation we must act, too. In our pre-exam history class session with Professor Femi Omosini at Ife, he warned us, “read hard but play hard.”

    So, our ministers must understand that their jobs are not about expertise but humanity. Talent must yield to sentiment.

    But whatever a cabinet makeup, it is beholden to one man: the president. Every government throws up its cabal or what, in the days of Abraham Lincoln, was called The Trust, which entailed a few influential courtiers of his sentiment. Abraham had a team of rivals in which his foes became cabinet ministers. Obama popularized a book on that era by historian Doris Kearn Goodwin titled: A Team of Rivals. It inspired Obama to appoint his opponent Hilary Clinton as secretary of state. The Buhari era threw up a few. There are already whispers of those around President Tinubu. No administration runs without a few trusted fellows. Their influence will depend on their individual value and where the president lends his ears.

    A key métier for ministers is president’s vision, which is the first quality of a leader. The second quality is to make leaders. That is where the ministers and other appointees stand. How they blend will determine whether vision meets team. That is the ultimate motor that will drive his legacy.

  • Agenda for new ministers

    Agenda for new ministers

    • They must be ready to hit the ground running.

    President Bola Tinubu on August 21 inaugurated the 45 out of 48 ministerial nominees he had earlier sent to the Senate for screening. Three nominees, former governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, former All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Leader, Stella Okotete from Delta State and former Taraba State senator, Sani Danladi, are yet to be confirmed. The Senate had stepped down their confirmation till their security clearance is recieved. However, the 45 ministers already sworn in are trusted by the president enough to be chosen to serve and the eyes of the people have seemingly shifted from the President to the ministers.

    Following their inauguration, some of the ministers pulled out the cymbals to celebrate, some have been making promises about what the people are to expect, others seem to take a more measured mode in what many analysts have termed ‘wait-and-see’ game. We congratulate each of the ministers, be they core politicians, technocrats, mere corporate players or some mixture of each. What is not in doubt is that all of them are adults who are not just citizens but who have lived enough in Nigeria to feel the pulse of the people. We therefore do not expect that the dire socio-economic situation in the country would be strange to them.

    After all the ceremonies, most of the ministers resumed in their new offices during the week. We believe that they have their jobs cut out for them. The President did not choose strangers, most of them have either worked with or associated with him, either closely or remotely. The invitation to serve the people through the various ministries is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. Already, they all must be aware of the manifesto of the ruling party, and the President, being the leader of the party, is the captain of the ship.

    The mantra of the administration is ‘Renewed Hope’. The people of Nigeria have never been more desperate for their hopes to be renewed and as such, all the ministers must be in line to actualise that mantra in practical terms. The ministers must engrave this theme in their minds and let it be their socio-political and economic roadmap. There are hydra-headed issues that must be on the front burner of the ministers working not as individuals but as a team. The cliché of ‘juicy ministries’ must never surface in words or in deed. The country’s economy is literally on the dreaded economic intensive care unit (ICU). Like in every nation desirious of development, each ministry must be seen to be working optimally as a part of the whole. The group of ministers is like the human body. Each part has its distinct function that is as relevant as the other. The optimal function of each signals the healthy status of the whole body.

    The economic implication of the value of the naira vis-a-vis other global currencies must worry those in the economic and financial sector. The naira needs urgent resuscitation if the Nigerian economy is to survive. The power sector is not any less important. No economy can earn any global respect and growth without a viable power sector in a world ruled by ideas, science and technology. The Nigerian power sector has been one of the lowest performing in the country since independence.

    Read Also: CSOs urge Tinubu to appoint new auditor-general

    The infrastructural decay is worrisome and those in that sector must work with the urgency of now. The economy would continue to suffer without a functional infrastructural rejuvenation.

    Nigeria has 133 million people living in multi-dimensional poverty and, sadly, four million more people were added in the first quarter of 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). What this means is that the ministry in charge of humanitarian services and poverty alleviation must hit the ground running in order to save lives. The post- #EndSARS palliative handling disaster noticed across the country must be avoided through deft social responsibility actions. The people need to be re-assured of a tomorrow through actions that would renew their hopes. The recent palliatives from the Federal Government must be handled in the best international standards possible. The logistics of it all must be well planned.

    The education and health sectors have been yearning for attention over the years. If a healthy nation is a wealthy nation, then Nigeria’s health sector must be given urgent attention in terms of both human and infrastructural rejuvenation. The high maternal and child mortality must be tackled very fast to ensure a future for the nation. Continuity is the soul of our humanity. The healthy child must be educated because the world demands that. The Nigerian education sector has never needed more urgent attention.

    The proliferation of substandard private schools must give way to better-funded government interventions in the areas of infrastructure and supervision by the agencies of government. The good old style of education supervision must be re-introduced to halt the drift. The most valued asset of any nation is its people. The world today puts premium on education, both formal and informal, including diverse skill acquisitions that empower the youth to be more productive in ways that can grow the economy.

    Many analysts of the Nigerian political economy seem to be missing the point by over-emphasizing the value of the so-called technocrats in government as though their presence alone is the only miracle nations need. While we appreciate the contributions very committed technocrats can bring to governance, we would want to see technocrats with passion about the Nigerian situation, financial literacy, rural and urban literacy, psychological literacy. We can’t overplay the value of technocrats. Every expert in any field can add value to an administration but they must back up technocracy with practically realistic knowledge and experience.

    We must however commend the administration for the novelty of having dual coordinating ministers for the health sector and the economy. It points to the value it places on the two sectors. They are strong pillars in any society and we expect the best attempt at a seamless synergy from the coordinators. Leadership in this sphere demands a lot of diligence and patriotism. No one can go wrong with these two properly handled.

    We expect that the ministers, in accepting to serve the people, must be truly ready to write their names in gold. History beckons each and everyone of them.

    We want to believe that they are all patriots and would wish the administration success by striving to be individual and collective stars that would at the end of their service be proud to have worked at renewing the hope of Nigerians.

    We urge the President to keep the ministers on their toes because the buck stops at his desk and he is vicariously liable for the failure of the individuals he has chosen. He must exercise the political power to sack anyone for lethargy or inadequate commitment.

    While we wish the ministers well, we will applaud those who will act with some sense of purpose at the hope renewal agenda and call out those who feel that it is business as usual. The ministers must see the oaths they swore to as a covenant that must not be broken.

    We wish them well because we are all involved.

  • He’s given us ministers, now what we need from our ministers

    He’s given us ministers, now what we need from our ministers

    Just like it has been in recent times, the Aso Rock Presidential Villa did not see much of physical activities from President Bola Tinubu’s office.

    But a lot went underground unnoticed, just like they say, the wheel of governance has continued to grind, non-stop, whether you see it or not.

    However, one event loomed so large. There was no way anyone, especially in the country, will claim not to have noticed it.

    The long awaited cabinet was inaugurated on Monday, with all the 45 ministers screened and cleared by the Senate being sworn-in.

    That was a major activity for the President and also for all citizens because these are men and women who will run the Renewed Hope Agenda along with Tinubu and his Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

    But much more, they are the people who make all Nigerians feel like a part of the government. For instance, ministers are from all states of the federation and for all Nigerians.

    There is a particular feeling about hearing the name of your kinsman mentioned as part of those who are to make things work for everybody. You do not even need to know them in person. It is nostalgic.

    So the week started on a note that  concerns everybody and as expected, everybody has one opinion or the other to express.

    Charging his ministers to their duties, President Tinubu reminded them of the dire situation facing Nigeria and what is expected of them to lighten the people’s burden and to really “let the poor breathe”.

    He did not just stop with charging them to deliver. There was a note of warning; every man or woman will be measured by the standards the administration had promised Nigerians. The primary duty is to make the people believe in governance once again.

    Read Also: FG denies news of expulsion of envoy from Niger Republic

    The President admonished the ministers: “Since my inauguration on May 29, I have taken steps to begin implementing the agenda from which I campaigned and for which I received the mandate of the Nigerian people. With the inauguration of ministers today, we are about to accelerate our governing efforts to move forward, highlighting our best aspiration for Nigerians. It is all about a great team. And I believe we have them here. “It is the highest honour to be chosen to serve as a minister in the Federal Executive Council of our beloved Republic. With such high honour comes tremendous responsibility. In this moment of abundant promise and peril in equal measure, all of you who have been sworn-in have been called to distinguish yourselves. It is me who know you and delegate this authority. But the greatest number of Nigerians is highly expectant of delivery and accountability and transparency. “I expect that you will serve with integrity, dignity and deliver. I will hold you to that standard we all promised Nigerians. Your assignment begins immediately. As your country honours you today, by this call to service, you must each work to make yourself worthy in the eyes of God and all our nation’s people. Your highest obligation is to restore public faith in government so that our people can once again believe that the right hands in government can show. I believe in you that the government can be a positive force for transformation and a vehicle for collective progress of this country”.

    Meanwhile, having fixed people where he believes they will best deploy their energies and talents, Nigerians have also been helping with thoughts on how the administration can make the best of the team for the good of the nation.

    Bolaji Lawal, a socioeconomic analyst in the banking sector, identified four task areas for the administration to achieve its goals and the ministries that will help in achieving them.

    According to him, increased revenue, job creation, security and power are those areas that need to be gotten right to get the nation running straight.

    “These ministries are defined by what is considered the most urgent priority of Nigeria at the moment, which are increased revenue, job creation, security and power.

    These are the most important because solving them resolves a lot of other issues. For example, increased revenue and job creation may resolve other problems like infrastructure deficit, poverty alleviation and so on.

    “The first task area is increasing revenue for the job of running the system, without having to borrow, like President Tinubu promised when he inaugurated the Tax Reforms Committee.

    Here, the ministries of Finance and Coordinating Ministry for the Economy and that of Budget and Economic Planning must think outside the box to figure this need out.

    “These ministries are very important. They must plan, organise, propose, project, track, give feedback and make necessary adjustments along the way to the achievements of the government’s economic policies and programmes.

    The Minister of Finance must be given the necessary powers to get the cooperation and collaboration of every other Ministry, Department and Agency of the Federal Government”

    For job creation, which is the second task area, five ministries will help to considerably bridge the massive employment gap in the country.

    Number one is the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. This ministry should have as its focus prepping one million young Nigerians (in five years) for the global IT market.

    “Also, the Ministry of Health is where Nigeria has perfected producing high quality medical personnel cheaply and this has attracted global attention. This Ministry should reposition Nigeria in such a way that it can benefit from the export of these highly skilled Nigerians by developing policies that improve medical facilities back in Nigeria. “The ministries of Sports Development, Marine and Blue Economy, Solid Minerals Development and Steel Development will do much in creating millions of jobs for both skilled and unskilled hands. Already the Sports fields are bringing in foreign currency, but only at the informal level. Policy reforms will reorganise the sector and increase remittances. The major gain here is in terms of remittances and this ministry should target exporting a million youths in a decade. “Ministry of Solid Minerals Development is a hardly tapped resource of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It will create jobs and enhance government revenue. Also, in the Ministry of Steel Development, the Ajaokuta Steel Mill alone has the capacity to create a million direct and indirect jobs. This project alone will impact Nigeria’s GDP growth.

    “The third task area is Security and the much that could be seen puts much tasks on the shoulders of the Ministries of Defense, Interior and Police Affairs. They must develop a new security architecture that can effectively secure the nation.

    “The last task area for the administration will be getting the Power sector right. The success of the government’s economic programmes is dependent on the availability of Power. The ministries of Power, Petroleum Resources and Gas Resources must fashion out a way to overcome all the bottlenecks that stand in the way of uninterrupted power supply across the length and breadth of the country. This industry, if properly harnessed, is a multi-trillion Naira one that impacts the GDP of Nigeria”, Lawal stated.

    Other Nigerians have also been voicing what they will want to see from the government and how they will want the President and his ministers direct public life. One of such voices is that of Eguando Tone Jeff, an Abuja-based Public Affairs Commentator, who believes some of the ministries have much to tap from in order to grow the economy and ease some of the burdens that Nigerians have been forced to live with for too long.

    “The Blue Economy ministry needs to harness the opportunities in fishing, ship registration, tidal energy (a clean power created by ocean wave) and so on. This is a global economy worth $2.5 trillion so Nigerians expect the minister to get to work so that we can pluck out of that global business that will generate FOREX, create jobs and revenue for our country.

    “Tourism is another area that Nigerians want to see generate revenue like the entertainment industry. The Minister needs to brand top artists like Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy as ambassadors to sell, not just their music, but attract the world to our Tourism. The $2.3 trillion global economy of Tourism is waiting for Nigeria. We have all that can attract the world; the sun, sand, sea and monuments, if well packaged.

    “There needs to be synergy between the Ministry of Tourism, the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies to create a futuristic security template because tourism does not thrive where there is insecurity.”

    Don’t forget to add the Works Minister should work out modalities to sanction contractors who engage in construction of federal roads that end up failing in less than one year of construction.That is economic sabotage of scarce resources that should be applied to the benefit of Nigerians”, Eguando said.

    Large as the ministerial inauguration loomed and appearing as the undisputed mega event of the week, it will be difficult for one not to note the President’s engagements regarding the Niger Republic debacle.

    As Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), he has had to coordinate many of the activities of the regional body to prevent a breakdown of interface with the General Abdouramane Tchaini-led junta in Niger.

    To that effect, the President met with ECOWAS Envoy to Niger and Nigeria’s former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Commission’s President, Dr Omar Tourey, at the Villa on Tuesday and Thursday.

    He also met with Islamic leaders, known as the Ulama, on the same matter. It should be noted, however, that as the administration moves close to hitting a hundred days in office, activities are expected to pick. More activities are expected, probably from this week. 

  • Ministers, celebrations, media gitz and the tasks ahead

    Ministers, celebrations, media gitz and the tasks ahead

    The Nigerian political environment is a mixed grill. Yes the country has embraced democracy which is not a traditional African governance system but the social and religious nuances of the people somehow find its way into the practice of western style of democracy. The deep-rooted social and religious cleavages and practices often pop up in the practice of the Nigerian democracy.

    Elections are at the core of democracy as it gives power to the people to elect their leaders and legislativerepresentatives.  After elections, the executive at both state and federal levels seek out individuals to work with them to drive the political party policies as contained in their pre-election manifesto.  A lot of variables play out at this point. The President or governor has the prerogative to choose who to work with but the constitution empowers the legislative arm to screen and confirm or reject any nominee either as a federal minister or a commissioner at the state level.

    The forty five Ministers confirmed by the Senate have been inaugurated by President Tinubu on the 21st of August. They have taken the oath of office and have each promised to be faithful to the country and to work in accordance with the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.  The President and the Nigerian people would be on the lookout for the performances of these ministers who the senate have screened and confirmed as being qualified to head government ministries.

    Curiously, a few of the ministers and their families elaborately celebrated their inauguration, some were very subtle and others not so extravagant with their celebrations. For the celebrations, it is at the discretion of anyone to celebrate any event in any way they deem fit. Nigerians are famous for their celebrations of events including marriages, birthdays, graduations and even funerals.  It is one of the cultural indulgences of the people. The scale might differ but celebrations seem to be one thing Nigerians do well with all the pomp and pageantry.

    However, the Roundtable Conversation as always has a little message for the new ministers. The inauguration is similar to the signing of a contract in some way. Swearing an oath to work for the welfare of citizens is one promise the new ministers must be deliberate about. Appointments of this magnitude do not come on a platter. Most of them are politicians, some are from the corporate world, few are renowned technocrats whose professional competences are expected to be deployed at the national level.

    Read Also: Petition challenging my victory frivolous, lawmaker tells tribunal

    While we believe that celebrations are part of Nigeria’s socio-cultural characteristics, we believe that it seems a tad too early to celebrate a call to service. One would rather celebrations are left till a mission is achieved in this circumstance. Too much celebration goes contrary to democratic best practices and the realities of the Nigerian socio-economic space.  The call to duty of each of the ministers is too serious to be partying over elaborately. The problems  on ground is too huge for any celebrations at this time.

    It is time Nigerians called to public offices in this way downplay their own egoistic celebration  because that is exactly what it is. It is at the core of the Nigerian political office ‘ownersip’ and sometimes lethargic ways of looking at national problems. National or state service calls through appointments must stop being seen as some coronation that has to be celebrated. If we are practicing democracy, we must imbibe and practice the core tenets in the best ways to truly make it a government of the people.

    A nation with 133million people living in multi-dimensional poverty with an additional 4million added in the first quarter of 2023, a country with more than 20million out-of-school children, a country with dilapidated infrastructure, low power supply, low currency value, high unemployment , high maternal and child mortality rates and other developmental problems is in real dire socio-economic crisis of near monumental proportions. The new ministers ideally should have no time for pre-achievement celebrations. They must hit the ground running if the Nigerian socio-political cliché phrase is anything to go by.

    Excessive celebration by the new ministers and other acts that can amount to dancing to the gallery would be akin to the proverbial Nero fiddling while Rome burnt. There should be no room for any distractions from the agenda of the government. If the All Progressives Congress (APC) party government under which they have been appointed came in with the Renewed Hope theme, every minister must set his or her eyes on activities that would actually renew the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians.

    Hope is the eternal promise that sustains humanity. Humans believe in the eternal possibilities of a tomorrow. The new ministers must act as beacons of hope and align themselves with the realities on ground. There are dire economic problems that need urgent attention. The people are looking up to the minsters not as magicians but as humans whose words and actions should be as humane as they are realistically well-intentioned.

    The maiden news conference of Nyesom  Wike, the new Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister did not come to many not as surprise given his personality but many felt that he must realize that he is now on a national stage and must be concerned about the feelings of a larger community of Nigerians.  Issuing veiled threats and promising Armageddon for land owners without Certificate of Occupancy  (CofO)or those who have failed to develop their lands cannot be applauded as the best first news conference from the Minister of Nigeria’s Federal Capital, Abuja. Abuja is to Nigeria what London is to Britain and Washington to the United States of America.

    Laudable as maintaining law and order is, the process must be done with a human face. He might yet achieve his aim without coming off as an emperor of old. The rule of law can be silent and effective. Acknowledging the problems of the city and familiarizing himself with the people as an introductory process might have been more realistically welcoming for the first such minister who is also the ex- governor of River state. What if he met with the residents or the indigenes of the FCT that have had some grievances with the political establishments since Abuja became the Federal Capital Territory?  Did they not say you don’t have a second chance to make a good first impression? We hope that this misstep would open the door for better productive and humane attitude that can renew the hopes of not just FCT residents but that of all Nigerians. The capital cities of nations carry with them some added value to the nation. It is often the hub of intellectual engagements and diplomatic nerve center of any nation.

    Words matter. All the new ministers must realize that words matter. In a tech and social media world, words from ministers or any politician are often like a candle lit on the mountain top. Their words  are often double-edged, they impacts on their principal and the people often see them as being his or her voice. The verbal and non-verbal communications must be taken more seriously by public officers for the good of the country. Unity and peace is on the Coat of Arms for a reason.

    The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Beta Edu was trending two days after her inauguration because she told the media that the government plans to lift 133million Nigerians out of poverty. Laudable as the intention of the government is, it was too soon to take that to the public. The intention of the government is valid and laudable but in putting it out there just merely hours after her inauguration, the Minister got people talking and analyzing her capacity to effectively handle the ministry.

    The Roundtable Conversation expects that as the former APC Women leader, she had gone round enough during the campaign period to feel the pulse of the people. The expectation is that she settles into her office, work out the modalities and in collaboration with the President and other ministers.  The aim of poverty alleviation would be achieved but work needs to be done. It sounded too utopian for her to say that just a day after inauguration.  It would have been more functionally relevant to settle in first and then talk about the government plans and policies that can help the government alleviate poverty substantially rather than using the already scary statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics which in any case has increased because the same agency reported that about 4million Nigerians were added to the statistics in the first quarter of 2023.  Lifting people out of poverty is developmental initiative that takes years if not decades of deftly planned strategies that is as holistic as it is well researched and implemented incrementally. 

    Dr. Beta Edu should, while representing the women who are most affected by the effects of poverty and other humanitarian crises like the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), flood victims, maternal and child mortality, gender-based sexual and other related acts of violence etc. These and other systemically induced actions would take planning and cooperation of the team to work out and achieve results. The President has appointed a team and they all know his intentions. Now is the time to put in the work not to talk like they are still on the campaign trail. The media rounds the minister is doing now is too soon and unnecessary. Much work needs to be done.

    Nigeria is in dire need or power, a more secured country, better healthcare and education systems, a more vibrant extractive industry, more functional infrastructure, a more functional civil service, better and more functional transportation system among other sectorial requirements. All the forty five ministers must be better focused because as Nigerians the assumption in their being appointed is that they understand the system and are ready to work at giving the people more hope. We at the Roundtable Conversation would continue to engage for the good of the country and report cards are being compiled from day one.

    The conversation continues…

  • Perform or resign, Natives warn ministers

    Perform or resign, Natives warn ministers

    Perform or resign, the Natives warn newFrom Jide Orintunsin – Abuja – 23/08/2023 Tribal leaders and pro-democracy group under the platform of the Natives  yesterday asked the new ministers to  perform on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or resign .

    The pro-democracy group said it was embarking on the slogan “All Eyes on Ministries and MDAs” to ensure that all the newly inaugurated ministers delivered on their mandates for the good of the country.

    Addressing  reporters  in Abuja, the Supreme Leader of the group,  Smart Edwards, vowed to focus on all the ministries and parastatals to ensure “it is not business as usual.”

    The group praised the President for his choice, noting that Tinubu has demonstrated good leadership and shown to be a large-hearted father, hence the need for the appointees to reciprocate by excellent performance or be booted out.

    Read Also: Subsidy relief: Boat builders make case

    “Thank you, Mr. President, you have given us a combination of courage, open-mindedness, experience, inclusion and performers. With the Cooperation of a people-centred National Assembly, the Stage is set.”

    Congratulating the appointees, the group urged the ministers to be constantly aware of the Renewed Hope Covenant with the People, challenging them to reciprocate by excellent performance or be booted out.

    According to Edwards: “We are total and firm believers in the Renewed Hope administration, so will give you the citizen’s support, we will be at your doors, will keep you on your toes, meet you in the field, monitor and evaluate your progress and will not be afraid to spot you out or call for you to be booted out. This time around Nigerians must win.”

    Counselling the ministers to be alive to their responsibilities, the group reminded the appointees that, “you are 45 of the best among us, do not be a disgrace to us, globally, collectively and individually, we won’t tolerate failure. The entire country expects much from you, also the President and may your reign be prosperous.

    “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has played his part, he has both the mandatory role of supervising and being responsible for successes and failures.

     “We call on you to be Patriots, do not discriminate, unite the country and deliver dividends, make our Nation attractive again, and restore our dignity and human pride.

    “Banish poverty, energize the country, give hope to young people, women and the disabled, open up the reservoir of knowledge, potentials and skills inherent in the nation, we want to see great infrastructures, durable roads, active railways, amazing air and land transport, utilize the sun, the ocean, our brains, create policies that make businesses profitable and inspire Nigerians at home and everywhere.

    “You have Singapore, Rwanda, and China before you as examples, this is a different journey, the President wants delivery, and Nigerians want results. Remove all debris, and clogs in the wheels, and uproot all blockades, imbalances and impediments in your pathways.

    “There must be power, the Natural Resources Gas, Solid Minerals, Water, Fertile Land and Human talents are before you, explore them creatively and elevate them.

    “Our youths must find jobs, the country must be safe, the environment must know the nation’s administrators are navigating decisively, communicate your policies effectively, modernize, digitize and discipline. Intensify your impacts on the health systems, administer to your best capabilities and do not be afraid to promote inclusion that can altogether promote Prosperity.”

    Pledging their support to the ministers, Edwards stated, “We will monitor and support you, we shall build a stronger Nigeria together, the journey to success and renewed hope demands the of all of us.

    “Please turn around our educational Sector, explore our Sports capabilities, and encourage our digitalization and innovations to the Moon. Restore the FCT, Fund entrepreneurship, and discover women.

    “Asiwaju, our President has empowered you to create a paradigm shift, by this you are commanded to think out of the box and equip yourself with the best team.

    “Produce legacies via knowledge and research, recreate and redesign your MDAs for greater output. Be deliberate and if you can’t Resign.”

  • Ministers zoom into action

    Ministers zoom into action

    Minsters yesterday settled down business at their respective ministries. They charged civil servants to align with the Tinubu administration’s agenda for reforms and speedy implementation of government’s programmes.

    The ministers, who unveiled their priorities, also set the tone for reforms, which they directed the workers to embrace for optimum efficiency.

    It was their second day in office after their inauguration at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by President Bola Tinubu, who mandated them to perform and be ready to be held accountable for their actions.

    Road design, contract awards for review, says Umahi

    Works Minister Dave Umahi yesterday kick-started visited ongoing project sites with Abuja-Lokoja Expressway.

    He called for concrete road construction for durability.

    Read Also: Nigerians will experience new things under President Tinubu – Kumuyi

    He, however, stated all the projects cannot be taken at the same time.

    Umahi said: “If we have 100km of road, let us face it. For me, no project should run beyond two years so we can make adequate funding of the phase in the first two years of our budgeting.”

    The minister, who was accompanied by Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, also said there will be a review and redesign of the road contract.

    He urged the contractors to use concrete on all Nigerian roads,  and promised to deliver concrete roads across the country, saying they are more durable, and can last 50 years as well as maintenance free.

    “By the grace of God, the ministries have pledged to work with all the contractors. We must also create opportunities, we must also be ready to accept bureau changes and have studied the goods at face enormous challenges.

    “Mr. President is also aware of all the challenges. Is like a woman that is in pain while giving birth once she sees the child all the pains will be forgotten, Asiwaju is giving birth to a new Nigeria so he will experience labor pains.

    “So, Nigerians should understand that Mr, president here is the blessings of God so anybody that didn’t know now should begin to know.

    “All we need to do is to change our ways of index. If we are making 100 percent profit in a project that will last 20 years while don’t you make a smaller percentage in a project that should last for 50 years and less maintenance,” he stressed.

    On his part, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello stated that fixing roads is better than giving palliatives.

    He also gave a marching order to contractors handling federal projects.

    Those mobilised but failed to do any work should refund such funds to the ministry.

    According to him, public funds must be used for public purpose and not to be kept in accounts of contractors.

    He said that those contractors who for one excuse or the other did not do their jobs should refund the ministry of such money

    “Those contractors who could not do any job for security reasons or any other reason should refund the money to the government.”

    Wike to directors: perform or seek redeployment

    The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, advised directors in FCT Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), to seek redeployment if they cannot perform in their various offices.

    The minister, who said the directors should not see him as a difficult person, urged them to work without fear or favour to get the desired results.

    Wike said he will like to fix Abuja by implementing its master plan, adding that he will quickly tackle the challenges revolving around the traffic light, sanitation, street trading, transportation, insecurity

    He said: “We are here to deliver the short term deliverables for people to see that Abuja is coming back to what it was supposed to be.

    “People are complaining of street lights not working, I am complaining too… we must fix it within the shortest possible time.”

    He charged the director in charge of street lights to do everything possible in the shortest possible time to restore lights on the streets of Abuja.

    On sanitation, Wike said Abuja must be a clean city.

    Turning to the director in charge of sanitation, the minister charged him to work harder.

    He said he will make the director develop high blood pressure on account of the job as he would not give him time to rest.

    Wike stressed: “You must be ready to work hard, I must make sure I give you BP, so you must work hard. You can’t be sleeping when the environment is dirty.

    “You can’t be director for nothing. It is an opportunity for us to tell Nigerians and Mr. President that we can can’t disappoint. If you are in charge of sanitation, buy your drugs, carry it all the time because I will disturb you all the time to make sure Abuja is clean.”

    On transportation, Wike said: “Wahala don come,” decrying the indiscriminate and illegal bus stops in Abuja.

    He said: “I have respect, small, for women, but this one I will not. If you don’t have the capacity, let’s replace you now. On this job, people will not like you, but in the end, if you do it well you will be appreciated. Things are tough, yes, but we cannot live in a lawless society because things are tough”.

    The minister said street trading would be a thing of the past, adding that insecurity would be tacked with all seriousness.

    Wike reiterated his resolved to deal with illegal structures, shanties and other illegalities.

    He said after the short term quick fixes, he would embarked development projects.

    The former Rivers governor added: “There will be no abandon projects in my time, there will be the money down before we start any project, we will make a difference. We are committed to achieve what Mr. President promised Nigerians.”

    Minister of State Dr. Mariya Mahmoud urged the workers to support them in their bid to develop the city.

    Badaru to service chiefs: set timeline to end terror

    The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, who met with service chiefs, led by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), at the ministry, directed them to set the timeline and highlight the requirements for ending terrorism.

    He said those in charge of the security architecture under President Tinubu  cannot afford to fail Nigerians.

    On the need for a timeline, Badaru said: “This timeline and target will be passed on to the President and trust me, he will be monitoring us and he doesn’t have the patience to work with lazy people.

    “So, all our jobs are at stake if don’t deliver; and indeed we have to deliver for our people, we have to deliver for the country.

    “The President is a goal setter; he is an achiever and a thinker. So, if you think we are going to joke with this, we’ll all be deceiving ourselves.

    “The President is a macro manager and he will be on our necks to deliver. I will do the same, and as time goes on, you see that I engage you as a group, and as an individual.

    “I think this is where the service chiefs will forgive me if I cross the command channel. We have to get things done.

    He added: ”The trust that is reposed in the two of us by Mr. President and indeed, the Service chiefs, cannot be betrayed. We have to deliver for the sake of our country.

    “We know without security, there will be no investment and without investment, there will be no economic growth. Even, our food security is threatened when farmers can’t go to their farms.

    “The President is ready to give us all the support to do this. So, from now on, I want the service chiefs to give me a timeline and their requirements on how we’ll begin to solve these problems one by one.”

    The minister said him ministry would begin a monthly meeting with heads of other security agencies and their ministers as part of synergy with other agencies.

    Such synergy, the minister noted, will put the agencies on the same page in their collective search for solutions to terror.

    The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mattawalle, noted that the herculean task ahead can be achieved with the support of Nigerians and dedication by the military.

    Matawalle said: “Our armed forces must be modernized and strengthened through investments in advanced weaponry, intelligence gathering capabilities, surveillance systems, and cyber defence infrastructure. We will work closely with international partners to acquire cutting-edge technology and expertise that will enhance our defence capabilities.”

    CDS Gen. Christopher Musa, promised to give the ministers maximum support.

    Nnaji: clear funds before approval

    The Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said approval of funds will require clearance from his office.

    He also said decisions must align with the administration’s goals of optimising resources for projects to deliver tangible outcomes.

    Nnaji said the ministry should innovate and not to merely follow routines.

    His words: “Let us be result-oriented, proactive, and enthusiastic. Our leadership in innovation will contribute to the prosperity of our great nation.

    “Immediate approval of funds will require clearance from the minister’s office. Decisions must align with our goals, optimising resources for projects that deliver tangible outcomes.

    “Strong collaboration between the ministry and agencies is vital. Let’s unite and work together for shared objectives through effective communication.

    “We are here to innovate, not to merely follow routines. Our swift and inventive actions will define us as a ministry driven by innovation.”

    I will demand accountability, says Geidam

    Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Geidam, who met with ministry officials, charged them to embrace innovations and new ideas that would drive positive changes in policing.

    He called for unity, collaboration, and cooperation in the course of maintaining law and order, safeguarding the rights of citizens and upholding justice.

    Geidam said: “We must work hand in hand and draw upon our collective expertise and experience. Through our collective efforts, we can effect positive change in the police ecosystem.”

    The Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hajia Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, called for team spirit between ministers and workers.

    ‘Electric vehicles will ease movement’

    Transportation Minister Said Alkali promised to  procure electric vehicles to ease transportation problems confronting  Nigerians.

    He said their procurement will reduce the cost of transportation arising from fuel subsidy removal.

    Alkali, who addressed workers, said: “I am going to ensure that the mass transit system is effective and put in place. The agenda of Mr. President is Renewed Hope and we will make sure that with the removal of fuel subsidy, we have an effective mass transit system and see how we can procure electric vehicles so that at least the cost of transportation with even the mass transit system is reviewed downward across the country.”

    The minister also promised to rehabilitate the rail transport to make the sub-sector more efficient.

    He added: “I will under the careful study of prevailing economic trends, undertake the provision, modernization, rehabilitation, planning, and development of the rail transport sector with efficient security services to support the realization of the primary purpose of government.

    “This initiative will no doubt maximize the potentials embodied in the recent constitutional alterations that moved rail transport services from the exclusive list to the concurrent list. It will also reduce the frequent menace on our roads characterized by accidents, kidnappings, and armed robbery.”

    ‘No room for passports scarcity, porous borders’

    Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said there will be an end to scarcity of international passports and porous borders.

    He promised to reposition Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), charging its officials to live to expectation.

    Tunji-Ojo, who addressed reporters,  said NIS should remove all passport processing-related bottlenecks.

    At the briefing were Commandant-General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi, Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS, Haliru Nababa; Controller General of the Federal Fire Service FFS, Abudulganiyu Jaji and Acting Comptroller General of the NIS, Mrs. Caroline Wuraola-Adepoju.

    The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Oluwatoyin Akinlade, directors as well as the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Correctional Services Board, Ja’afaru Ahmed were also in attendance.

    Tunji-Ojo said: “We have to look at the Services, look at the bottlenecks and unbundle those bottlenecks. Immigration service, you have a lot to do.

    “We need to secure our borders and deploy modern technology to ensure that all our land, air and sea borders are secure. I assure Nigerians that we are not going to disappoint them.

    “NIS, the whole issue of passport delays and bottlenecks must be tackled. Nigerians, including those in diaspora must be treated with respect in all our passport offices.

    “Foreigners should be able to come to Nigeria based on merit. It can no longer be business as usual. And so there is no work without timelines. There must be timelines and key performance indicators because responsibility without accountability is irresponsibility.

    “For the Federal Fire Service, the response time, we are going to look into that. I know you have your challenges, but I am going to work with you to tackle them. Fire is a serious disaster and we need to optimize our processes.

    “The Nigeria Correctional Service, we must work with critical stakeholders on the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. We have to look at how to decongest the custodial centres and effectively integrate ex-convicts back into the society. Our custodial centres must become places of hope.

    “As for the NSCDC, you are doing fantastically well. I have read a lot about you and your contributions to the protection of Critical National Assets.

    “I am telling the Service chiefs that average is not good. Even better is not good enough. The best is what we want. You need to go back and strategize on key reforms that must be undertaken in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

    “We will bring transparency and national interest to the front burner. I want to be your friend to the extent that you understand your responsibilities. Where we draw the line is when you slack.”

    My ministry will unlock economic potentials, Bagudu assures

    The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, pledged to unlock the economic potential of the country, using the Ministry’s available resources.

    He said the Social Protection Policy would be given special attention to alleviate poverty and create improved conditions of life.

    The minister said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) would “develop a clear measurable road map to a re-alignment of the National Statistical System (NSS) to achieve sector targets and SDG milestones.”

    Bagudu said: “I will work meticulously to leverage on the enormous human resources of the Ministry, its parastatals, agencies and partners, to unlock economic potentials of our country and achieve the noble agenda of  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.”

    From Musa Umar Bologi, Grace Obike, Gbenga Omokhunu, Faith Yahaya, Adeyinka Aderibigbe, Blessing Olaifa and Nduka Chiejinas

  • Ministers – Be faithful, loyal and honest

    Ministers – Be faithful, loyal and honest

    Nigeria opens another major page in the 2023-7 Political Yearbook with new ministers, so-called servants, promising to be Faithful, Loyal and Honest, FLH. But this should not be ignored in practice because we live in terrible economic times with consequent terrible social, moral and security times. We cannot ‘expect-little-or-nothing’ from ministers. We need 2023-7 ministers in a hurry to serve our 150+million citizens and not expect the 150m+ to serve them. Imagine a minister who leaves office Salary and Perks with no secret cash bricks or contract percentages in 2027? Most FLH Minister Award? Easy for a new honest minister. Difficult but not impossible for ministers with a history of dishonesty.

    Decision time, Minister. Are you ‘Minister for Nigeria’ or ‘Minister Against Nigeria’?   

    We need Saul-to-Paul corruption-anti-corruption changes among the ministers with poor anti-corruption tendencies at their previous workplaces.  

    There are millions of honest Nigerians but many are forced into daily systemic corrupt practices starting at pay-to-pass checkpoints and ministry/ citizen interfaces. These must be stopped immediately.

    But are there enough honest Nigerians among our presidential kitchen cabinet, ministers, NASS and other politicians, civil servants and private sector participants particularly banks and contractors to make Nigeria great again? To date the answer has been ‘no’ so we pray that 2023-7 will be different. 2023-7 must be different if we are to survive as a country.  

    Read Also: NNPC Foundation promotes financial education among corpers

    Even if they had corruption questions in the past, these newest ministers can make the FLH anti-corruption decision to immediately impact the corruption perception index. They are our latest fighting line for the proper running and target driven result-orientation of their ministries. But do they possess true FLH values? Only they can answer truthfully to themselves, their children and the poor.

    Certainly, but sadly, history tells us that any corruption committed during 2023-7 will only to be ‘discovered’ after hundreds of billions have gone’ and answered in endless court adjournments post-2027 unless ICPC and EFCC launch pre-emptive strikes and intense monitoring from today.

    But ICPC and EFCC require to be monitored for FLH citizens themselves.

    Will a National Orientation Agency motivational badge with the map of Nigeria and FLH stamped on it? 

    Many ministers are said to be square pegs in round holes or ill-equipped to man [or woman] the allocated ministries. Can they achieve the urgently needed rapid recovery and development? Some have been posted to ‘juicy’ ministries. Now juicy is a bad word meaning riddled with corruption opportunities with a porous, opaque mega budgets with poor monitoring and easy padding. Can they shun past habits of misdeeds, corruption and fiscal irresponsibility, in favour of inter-ministerial cooperation for the public good and national projects like electricity with more coordination between customs landing and clearing electrical equipment, transport and installation etc. and stop uncoordinated, infighting and cross-purpose ministers.

    Coordination is a key to improvement of the value of the naira involving ministry of finance, economic planning, CBN, Sovereign Wealth Fund. Coordination is the key to everything needed for progress and development – security, education, health, power and road infrastructure.

    Our ministers must agree to coordinated, cooperative, progress-driven development independent of tribal, sexist, juicy priority ministry-minority ministry rivalry, or greed-driven one which have repeatedly led to failures of ministers in the past.                

    The main key to our problems is the poor value of the naira which is related to our very weak foreign reserves and our demand and supply ratio controlled by the greed driven black market cabal which has over the years crashed the naira at every opportunity.

    TEACH EVERY POLITICIAN: THE STRONGER NIGERIA’S NAIRA, THE FEWER PEOPLE ARE IN POVERTY, THE BETTER YOUR POLITICAL RATING. The stronger the currency, the cheaper the imports and the higher the value of the naira in our pocket. This is far better than just adding more weak naira to our pocket – more weak naira that will buy even less, except more inflation.

    The problem has never been the beautiful naira which was presented to us as an Amazon-like powerful currency equivalent to the pound and stronger than the dollar  N1=$1.2=£1. In 40years we decimated our most precious inheritance to N800-960=$1, N1,200=£1 in spite of a permanent inflow of oil-driven dollar revenues and initial massive industrial development covering locally made or locally assembled cars, textiles, motorcycles, glass, batteries etcetera- the golden, strong naira years. What a disgraceful 30-year economic mismanagement requiring forensic examination by economic historians.

    The problem has been the politically driven corruption with poor development and actual regression of infrastructure especially communal water, electricity and transport, weakening the moral fabric and moral value all conspiring to collapse business from the cheaper collectively shared water, electricity services to very expensive joke of ‘one man/business LGA, Local Government Area,’ with individual/business generators, boreholes security etc.

    We are a country of weak naira value, infected by a morally weak political class which ruined a perfectly good naira value. Nigerian economics is different from everywhere else requiring politics strong on economic calling for Nigerian billionaires that can voluntarily act like banks and give back at zero to three percent loans to CBN of about $10-20b to shore up the foreign reserves while the country makes a spectacular effort over the four years to 2027, not to spend every dollar to meet a foreign reserve target of $50-80b by 2027 when it can repay the billionaires their loans.  Simple Nigerian style economic recovery program 2023-7. 

  • Abiodun fetes ministers of Ogun origin

    Abiodun fetes ministers of Ogun origin

    Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has implored the newly sworn in ministers from the state to be good representatives of their people.

    He said they should leverage on the experience they have gathered over the years to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

    Prince Abiodun, who spoke at a reception organised in honour of the ministers, Mr. Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Dr. Ishak Kunle Salako, Minister of State for the Environment and Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, held in Abuja, urged them to use their offices to support and complement the implementation of his administration’s ‘Building Our Future Together Agenda’.

    He said the state had produced people who had served the nation meritoriously and therefore much was expected of them.

    Read Also: Kumuyi: expect new things from Tinubu’s govt 

    Said he: “We are the gateway to Nigeria’s prosperity, the nation’s educational capital, the industrial capital, number one in cassava, poultry, eggs; religious capital, emerging breadbasket of the nation and fast becoming the economic heartbeat of Nigeria. These appointments by Mr. President are a further testament to our first position and the abundant capacity we are known for and possess. 

    “You have been selected because of your excellent antecedents in the public and private sectors. Your credentials speak for each of you.”

    “Among others, you will use your offices to support and complement the implementation of our Building Our Future Together and our vision, which is to create a focused and qualitative governance while providing an enabling environment for public-private partnerships, which is fundamental to the economic growth of the state and the individual of our people.”

    The governor said his administration had built over 400 km of roads, built over 2,000 affordable homes and rehabilitated over 100 primary health centres, while over 100 schools were constructed during his first term.

    A world-class airport, he said, was built in less than two years, adding that his government was leading other states in the energy transition by the conversion of state-owned buses from diesel to 100 per cent Compressed Natural Gas and would soon begin the implementation of E-mobility programme aimed at swapping petrol okada for electric ones, all as part of initiatives to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal.

    “We will endeavour to hold a bi-quarterly meetings with you, to ensure we sustain this bond that is being established here today. Go forth and do exploit. We do not doubt that you will do us proud. May the Almighty grant you the grace and health so you make the best of the opportunity,” Abiodun said.

    Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele said the appointment was an opportunity to serve, stressing that with their wealth of experience, coupled with their outstanding qualifications, she was hopeful they would perform well.

    House of Assembly Speaker Olakunle Oluomo said the appointment of three ministers from the state was the best thing that had happened to Ogun since the return to democracy in 1999, hoping that they would perform to showcase the stuff the state was made of.

    The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo, described the new ministers as people of high integrity and impeccable character, who are ready to serve their fatherland.

    The Olu of Ilaro, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, said the appointment was historic in the anal of the state.

    The Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, represented by the Asiwaju of Remoland, Chief Solomon Onafowokan, said the ministers were trustworthy and dedicated sons of the state, who were well equipped to handle any responsibilities, while the Olota of Ota, Oba Abdulkabir Obalanlege, noted that the state was blessed with natural leaders, who could excel wherever they found themselves, appreciating the president for finding them worthy to serve in his cabinet.

    Responding on behalf of his colleagues, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Tijani, lauded Governor Abiodun for his infrastructural development and for leveraging technology to drive the state’s economy.

    He said the state would achieve more when it was fully digitalised.

    He stated further: “Ogun is rich in culture, talents, opportunities and resources. We are a great people in Ogun State. I want to assure you that we will work for the good of Ogun State and Nigeria. We will play our parts in line with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

    The occasion attracted dignitaries, including the governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq and his Imo State counterpart, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, serving and past members of the National Assembly, All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts in the state, government officials, captains of industries, friends and well-wishers of the ministers, among others.

  • Agenda for women ministers

    Agenda for women ministers

    The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, looked stunning in her navy blue attire with a complementing scarf as she shook hands with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu.

    Edu, 36, the youngest among the ministers, look beautiful in her floral green attire. But it was her bright smile and the determined look in her eyes that caught my attention as I read through the report, “Ministers lay out plan for nation’s development”, on Page 2 of The Nation newspaper yesterday. But, the picture got me thinking as I took a sip from the blend of ginger, turmeric and honey drink I was drinking, forcing my hands to scribble these thoughts for the new ministers and, by extension, the new administration.

    Congratulations to you our elegant and brilliant Women Ministers.

    I charge you with the quote of former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama: “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.”

    Dear women ministers, as you set out to implement President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, remember fellow women! Remember the words of Nigeria’s former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first African woman to become the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation: “Investing in women is smart economics, and investing in girls, catching them upstream is even smarter economics”.

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    It is, indeed, economic sense to promulgate policies and programmes that would improve the lives of women and wellbeing of the womenfolk across all sectors, not only the ones headed by women.

    Among other propostion I have in mind, I’ll like to end with this proactive proposition by United Nations Women that calls for policy and social reforms that put gender equality and sustainability at the centre of progress, starting with these five key ways to drive change.

    They tagged it: Five ways to build gender equality and sustainability. Hear them: “From increasing women’s representation in leadership and decision-making to redistributing care-work and productive resources, progress towards a gender equal and sustainable future starts with taking action today.

    Empower women smallholders and female-owned businesses

    “Over the last few decades, 55 per cent of the improvement in food security in developing countries has been driven by programmes promoting women’s empowerment.

    Protect women’s health

    “At the same time, climate disasters often pull resources away from women’s health services and services to support survivors of gender-based violence. As climate change worsens, it is critical that these services are strengthened and expanded to help keep women healthy and safe

    Invest in care

    “The global economy depends on the unpaid and underpaid care work primarily carried out by women.

    Fund women organisations and support leadership

    “At the national and the community level, women’s representation and leadership appear to drive better environmental outcome… women are more likely to consider their families and communities in decision-making processes.”